The present invention pertains to a powder composition, in the form of an admixture of powders of two distinct pre-alloys of iron, for the production of alloyed steel parts through powder metallurgical processes. More particularly, the invention relates to a powder composition of powders of a pre-alloy of iron with molybdenum in admixture with powders of a prealloy of iron with carbon and at least one transition element. The powder composition is useful in the manufacture, by powder-metallurgical methods, of alloyed steel precision parts with high density, good dimensional accuracy, hardenability, and strength.
Industrial users of sintered metal parts, particularly in the automotive industry, have sought a reduction in the weight of such parts without any decrease in strength. To satisfy these requirements, new powder metallurgical alloys, often with higher density and better homogeneity, have been developed. The alloying elements used today for the surface hardening of powder-metallurgical materials are primarily nickel, copper, molybdenum, carbon, and to some degree, chromium and manganese.
There are two general processes for incorporating these alloying elements into an iron powder mixture: simple mixtures of the iron powder with particles of the alloying element; and so-called pre-alloyed atomized powders. The simple powder mixtures are prepared merely by mixing the base iron powder with a particulate form of the elemental metal to be alloyed, either as the metal itself or in the form of a compound that breaks down to the metal during the sintering process. Atomized steel powders are produced from a melt of iron and the desired alloying elements, which melt is then sprayed into droplets (atomizing, generally with a jet of water) which droplets solidify upon cooling to form relatively homogeneous particles of the iron alloyed with the other elements of the melt.
One of the disadvantages of simple mixtures of iron and alloy-element particles is the risk of segregation and dusting that exists because of the general differences in particle sizes and/or densities of the various metallic elements of the mix. The pre-alloyed powders, on the other hand, whether made by atomizing or grinding, are generally free of the detriments associated with segregation since each of the particles has the desired alloying composition. The risk of dust formation is also lessened since the particles are generally of more uniform size than are particles within a simple mix of iron particles and alloy-metal particles. The pre-alloyed powders, however, have the disadvantage of low compressibility resulting from the solution-hardening effect that the alloying substances have on each powder particle. The compressibility of these alloy powders is substantially less than that of a simple mixture of elemental powders, which is essentially the same as that of the iron powder included within it.
Furthermore, although such alloying metals as chromium and manganese are efficient in strengthening steels, these and other metal alloy elements have a high affinity for oxygen and there has been the danger that the presence of such alloying elements will form oxides, particularly during the atomization step, unless very carefully controlled conditions are employed. The presence of metal oxides can hamper the sintering reaction and reduce the strength of the finally sintered product. Accordingly, although the pre-alloying of such elements through atomization is otherwise desirable, the benefits of such pre-alloying are often outweighed by the risk of oxide formation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a powder composition that has the benefit of pre-alloying, but that is not fully pre-alloyed, thereby retaining good compressibility, and that is less likely to have formed oxides during its production and is at a reduced risk of forming oxides during storage.